A Brief History On January 11, 2003, Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the death sentences of 167 convicted murderers in Illinois prisons due to the scandal of Chicago Police Detective Jon Burge having allegedly tortured confessions out of the then suspects. Digging Deeper Burge, a Vietnam Veteran and US Army soldier who earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Vietnam had joined the Chicago Police Department in 1970 while only 22 years old. Burge had a spectacular police career, becoming a Detective in 1972 and promoted to Lieutenant, gaining command of a Violent Crimes unit, then Bomb and Arson…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Daniel Zar is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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A Brief History On January 9, 2015, a southern African funeral in the country of Mozambique was the horror scene of a mass (believed intentional) poisoning in which 75 people died and another nearly 200 were hospitalized. Reports said the mourners were poisoned when they drank beer that had been spiked with crocodile bile (There is such a thing?). Digging Deeper People from the villages of Chitima and Songo were at the funeral drinking the traditional beer brewed for the occasion, a concoction of sorghum, corn, sugar and bran with a type of yeast unlike that used in European brewing. …
A Brief History On January 9, 1873, Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, died after ruling France for a longer reign than any other leader since the French Revolution. Napoleon III, nephew of the more famous Napoleon I, had been President of France from 1848-1852, and following in his family’s footsteps, became Emperor of the French in 1852, reigning for the next 18 years as the last monarch to rule France. Digging Deeper Born in 1808 as the son of Louis Bonaparte, the brother of Emperor Napoleon I, his given name was Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (later to drop the “Charles”…
A Brief History On January 8, 2004, the largest passenger ocean liner ever built was christened the RMS Queen Mary 2. Christened by the granddaughter of Queen Mary (of Teck, consort of King George V), the current Queen Elizabeth II, the ship is named “2” after the first RMS Queen Mary (1936-1967) that served the White Star Line and then the Cunard Line before becoming a tourist attraction in Long Beach, California. Digging Deeper Owned by Carnival Cruise Lines and operated by Cunard Lines, the massive vessel stretches 1132 feet long and has a beam of 135 feet (waterline). Towering…
A Brief History On January 7, 1797, the first use of the Green, White, and Red tricolor Italian flag was seen in use by the Cisalpine Republic (formerly Milan) after Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquest of that region in 1796. It seems obvious that the tricolor pattern of what became the modern flag of Italy was much influenced by the French tricolor flag adopted by the Revolutionary French Government in 1790. Digging Deeper Napoleon Bonaparte, former Emperor of the French, is one of history’s most influential characters, as evidenced by the fact that more has been written about him than any other…